Policy changes in UK higher education funding, 1963-2009

The subject of how to finance Higher Education (HE) has been on the agenda of successive UK governments since the 1960s. The UK has moved from a situation where the taxpayer footed the entire bill for HE, to a system where graduates themselves must contribute part of the cost of their education. Further changes to the HE system are expected soon, as an independent review of the HE system, chaired by Lord Browne, makes its recommendations this year. This paper documents the entire time line of major policy events affecting UK higher education finance, starting from the 1960’s and going up to the present day.